Automaticaly rate regulated timepiece



Oct. 15, 1963 o. H. DICKE 3,106,819

AUTOMATICALLY RATE REGULATED TIMEPIECE Filed March 4. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG:

INVENTOR Oct. 15, 1963 0, DICKE 3,106,819

AUTOMATICALLY RATE REGULATED TIMEPIECE Filed March 4, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VIII/1710111111,.

INVENTOR (QM/rem United States Patent Oflice 3,106,23 l 9 Patented Oct. 1 5, 1 963 3,196,819 AUTOMATICALLY RATE REGULATED TIMEPIECE Oscar H. Dicke, 211 S. Washington St., New Bremen, Ohio Filed Mar. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 12,751 4 Claims. (Cl. 58-855) This invention relates to automatic rate regulation for clocks and watches and more particularly to rate regulation limited to a maximum change in rate regulation for any one setting of such clock or watch, together with means for affording setting of such clock or watch without changing the rate regulation, that is, the disclosed device affords either automatic rate regulation of a limited extent or of zero extent at the wish or behove of the person setting such clock or watch.

When clocks or Watches are provided with means for accomplishing automatic rate regulation in response to setting of such clock or watch, it is experienced that after a plurality of such settings, the clock or watch, is regulated to substantially perfect time keeping and obviously this adjustment should not be disturbed. It is also quite common for such clock or watch, after it has been automatically rate regulated to substantially perfect time keeping, that the timepiece may need setting either because the timepiece stopped, by reason of lack of mainspring energy, or because the timepiece needs setting because a substantial error has accumulated because the timepiece has not been set for a long time. Also, especially in the case of watches, it is quite common that a person wears one wrist watch during week days and another wristwatch on Sundays, or special occasions, in which case both watches stop for lack of mainspring energy and if they are then set the rate adjustment is adjusted automatically to cause the timepiece to keep poorer time than it did before such setting. This invention is an improvement over the inventions disclosed in my prior, and copending, applications Ser. Nos. 447,271 filed Aug. 2, 1954; 596,067 filed July 5, 1956'; 673,293 filed July 22, 1957 now US. Patent No. 2,927,421 granted March 8, 1960; 746,927 filed July 7, 1958; and 759,079 filed Sept. 4, 1958.

In view of the foregoing and other important considerations it is proposed, in accordance with the present invention, to afford means whereby the operator or user, of the clock or watch, may set the timepiece in any one of a plurality of ways to obtain automatic rate regulation of either a limited or zero extent, as desired, for any particular setting. For instance, if the user sets his watch on a Sunday morning, after not having used his watch during the passed week, he may set it in a manner, or by means whereby setting without automatic rate regulation is accomplished. He might do likewise if he knows his watch keeps almost perfect time, but wishes to set it because a noticeable inaccuracy in its time indication exists because the error exists because it has accumulated over a long period of time without intervening setting. If a person that wears a wrist watch during weekdays which is non-self-regulating, but on Sundays wears a wrist watch which is self regulated in response to manual setting and which cannot be set in any other way, it is very annoying to be compelled to set the second mentioned wrist watch on Sunday morning, knowing that it has gradually been rate regulated automatically to substantially perfect timekeeping and it becomes repulsive to set such watch and thereby disturb its perfect timekeeping quality.

One object of the present invention therefore is to provide the wearer of a watch the choice of either obtaining limited rate or zero rate adjustment in response to his manual setting of the Watch.

Other objects, purposes or characteristic features of the invention will become more apparent from the following fast as the minute hand.

specification, when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates, in cross-sectional elevation through the axis of the minute shaft, the disclosure shown in FIG. 5 of my copending application Ser. No. 673,293; new Pat. No. 2,927,421.

FIG. 2 shows in more detail a cross-sectional elevation at right angle to the elevation illustrated in FIG. 1 and through setting and rate regulating button 55 shown in FIG. 1 of the present application;

FIG. 3 illustrates in cross-sectional elevation the same structure as shown in FIG. 2, except that the novel limited rate regulating button 55A constituting a feature of the present invention, has been substituted for the corresponding button 55 of said prior patent; and

FIG. 4 illustrates partly in cross-sectional elevations, a modified form of the present invention, for a pocket or wrist watch.

Structure.FlGS. 1 and 3, in combination, show an alarm clock (although the same principle may be applied to a wristwatch) in which the enclosure comprises a works housing 50 in which the time-keeping mechanism is housed and a dial housing 51 in which the clock dial 14, the clock hands 15 and 16 and the gears 19 and 20 are housed. Gears 19 and 20 are driven by pinions 18 and 17 for causing the hour hand 16 to rotate one-twelfth as It will be noted that the dial housing 51 is held relatively stationary by two legs 52 a leg 53 whereas the works housing is relatively rotata e.

In the FIGS. 1 and 3 embodiment of the present invention, wherein the front of the clock is the same as any commercial alarm or shelf clock, so that it seems unnecessary to show the front face of the clock, only a cross sectional elevation, taken through the axis of the minute shaft has been illustrated. In this form of the invention the clock housing as above mentioned, is divided into two parts, namely, a works or cloclemovement housing 50 and a dial housing 51. The dial housing 51 is held stationary by a three legged support of which only legs 52 and 53 have been shown. A worm 54 pivoted in dial housing 51 and engaging worm threads 50A around the works housing 50 enable the works housing 50 to be rotated with respect to dial housing 51. This worm 54 is provided with a setting knob 55A which is normally uncoupled from the worm. 54, because its annular teeth 55B are normally out of engagement with the external teeth of pinion 54B. These elements 54B and 55B may more properly be called a toothed clutch 54B-55B. It will be observed that the spring 550 biases the knob 55A toward the left, as shown in FIG. 3, so as to hold the tooth clutch 54B55B open and this spring 550 also biases the knob 55A to a neutral intermediately rotated position, so that the projection 55D isremoved substantially 180 from the center of the stop 51D and constituting part of the dial housing 51. It is thus seen that knob 55A cannot be rotated more than about in either direction before the projection 55D strikes the stop member 51D. It should be noted that knob 55A has two peripheral grooves 55B and 55F and that there is a ball 55G that is urged into the groove 55F when the knob 55A assumes its biased position but is urged into groove 55E when the knob 55A assumes its retracted abnormal position. In other words, if the knob 55A is retracted it is held in its retracted abnormal position by ball 55G engaging groove 55E and if the knob 55A is pushed back to its normal position it is held there by ball 55G engaging groove 55F. It is now readily seen that knob 55A may be retracted to cause engagement of toothed clutch 54B55B and may then be turned to an extent of about 160 in either direction to allow both setting and rate regulation to a limited extent only, during this particular setting function. Also, that when the knob 55A is again pushed back in, the spring 55C will not only help return the knob 55A toward the left but will also rotate this knob 55A until it assumes its intermediate rotated position with respect to stop member 51D. This knob 55A when turned, while the toothed clutch 54B-55B is engaged, causes the works housing 50 to be bodily rotated about the axis of the minute shaft 2. Such turning of the combined setting and rate regulation knob 55A will cause special setting of the clock hands 15 and 16, by causing special rotation of the minute hand 15 in the dial housing 51 and on the regular dial 14, depending on the direction of rotation of knob 55A, and will cause reduced rotation of hour hand 16. Not only will this special setting, as distinguished from regular setting through the medium of the regular setting knob 6, and slip clutch 13, of the clock cause setting, but it will also cause rate regulation of the escapement mechanism of the clock, because the dial housing 51, which may also be called adjustment means, is provided with an arm 51A which terminates in an adjustment member 5113, rotatable with respect to the clock-movement housing and in which member the minute shaft 2 is pivoted. This adjustment member 51B terminates in a pinion 51C, which pinion engages and meshes with teeth of gear sector 8C, terminating in a rate regulating arm 9 and pivoted on a trunnion 8B. A stop pin 8D is riveted into housing 56 extends into a slot in gear-sector 8C and limits the rotation of this gear-sector SC in housing 50 in both directions. The movement of gear section 80 about its trunnion 8E will change the effective length of the hairspring 10, acting on balance wheel 11, and causes rate regulation to improve the time keeping quality of the clock. This rate regulation is however limited for each operation to an extent permitted by the limited rotation of the knob 55A as limited by the extension 55D striking the stop member 51D. The construction is such that if the clock is set forward through the medium of setting and rate regulating knob 55A, causing rotation of the clock movement housing 50 and its minute hand with respect to the dial housing 51 or dial 14, the hairspring 10 is eifectively shortened to increase the rate of operation of the escapement mechanism. It will be observed that setting may be accomplished in two entirely different ways without any gear-changing or clutching. The toothed clutch mechanism 54B-55B merely couples the knob 55A to the worm 54 and is entirely independent of regular setting knob 6, except for the fact that setting of minute hand by the knob 55 also causes turning of knob 6 integral with hand 15. This functioning of setting alone or setting in combination with rate regulation is due to the fact that in the second manner of setting the works are bodily rotated to accomplish both rate regulation and setting in the same operation and with proportional movement in both functions. It should be observed that the integral pinion and gear 1749 of FIG. 1 is pivoted on a trunnion 81A secured in the arm 51A of the dial housing 51. This structure is resorted to so that when the minute hand 15 is set by the knob 55A and worm 54, resulting in rotation of the clock works, the hour hand 16 is set only to the extent of one-twelfth the number of degrees that the minute hand 15 was set by rotation of the clock works. In other words, the reduction gears and pinions 17, 18, 19 and 2d are not a part of the clock works but are a part of the dial structure. The clock works or time measuring means mentioned includes the mainspring 80, gears 81, 83, 85 and 87 driving pinions S2, 34, 86 and 88, respectively and escapement wheel 90. The shafts of these gears and pinions are shown supported in bearing blocks and in frame 89.

Operation of FIGS. 1 and 3 structure.in the FIGS. 1 and 3 structure each time the clock or watch is set in the regular Way, as by the turning of regular setting knob 6, there is no rate regulation. When the clock is set for other reasons than poor time keeping, as for instance when the clock or Watch has stopped for failure of mainspring energy, it is set by this knob 6. When the timepiece indicates the wrong time by reason of poor time keeping and it is desired to improve the time keeping quality it may be set at special knob 55A, to accomplish simultaneous setting and rate regulation, rate regulation being accomplished by rotation of adjustment member 513 and its associated pinion 511C with respect to the works housing 50. When the timepiece is set at knob 55A this knob is first withdrawn to cause engagement of toothed clutch 54B- 55B, after which it may be turned only to a maximum of about 160 in either direction, depending on whether the timepiece must be set backward or forward. This feature is provided to prevent an over correction in the rate adjustment. About the only instruction that need be given the user of the timepiece is that he may set the timepiece at knob 55A as much as he needs during a single withdrawal of the knob 55A and if this setting is not enough he may supplement the setting by using setting knob 6. The user of the timepiece will soon know that if the time indicated is slow by reason of stoppage of the timepiece, or if it is fast or slow because the error in indication is due to a long accumulation of a very small inaccuracy in rate adjustment, that he must not disturb the rate adjustment by the use of knob 55A but that he must set the timepiece at setting button 6. The precise structure illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 is ideal for alarm clocks, automobile clocks and shelf clocks, but is less suitable for wrist watches because it is more ditficult to obtain works rotation in a wrist watch using the conventional winding stem. It may, however, be used in wrist watches in a manner as shown, for instance in FIGS. 6 and 7 of copending application Ser. No. 673,293 (now Patent No. 2,927,421). Considering the simplicity of construction and the almost miraculous results that may be accomplished by the FIGS. 1 and 3 construction render this structure a very practical application of the invention. It should, for instance, be noted that the two kinds of setting accomplished are entirely independent and that slip friction clutch 1213 comes into play only when setting by knob 6 is carried out and that setting by knob 6 or the operation of the clock itself cannot interfere with or change the rate adjustment. Also, no over-adjustment can take place during any one setting operation and that if setting by knob 55A will not, due to its limited rotation, afford enough setting, such setting can be supplemented by setting through the medium of knob 6.

Structure FIG. 4.1n FIG. 4 has been illustrated a structure similar to that disclosed in FIG. 6 of prior application Ser. No. 596,067 (now Patent No. 2,949,728). It however differs therefrom in that hand setting with zero accompanying rate regulation may be accomplished, if desired. Referring to FIG. 4 the casing of a pocket watch, or a wrist watch, although the structure is equally applicable to a shelf clock, an alarm clock or an automobile clock, has been illustrated. This casing is provided with a stem 101 having a ring or bale 1G2 pivoted therein. This stem 191 has rotatably, and slideably, mounted therein a combined winding and rate regulating sleeve 103 terminating at the top in a combined winding and rate regulating knob 1tl3A. The sleeve 166 is also pivoted in bearing block 104- and has a pinion 1%5 secured thereto, which normally engages, and is in mesh with, the winding gear 106 which may wind a mainspring (not shown). When this stem 103 is withdrawn a distance to cause the ball 107 to lie in groove 108, instead of groove 109, as illustrated, the pinion 105 is moved out of mesh with winding gear 106 and is moved into mesh with rate regulating gear 112. The ball 107 is pressed inwardly by the compression spring 110 In a similar manner the ball may be pressed into grooves 117 or 118 in shaft 116 by the spring 120 contained in a pocket in the sleeve 103. The shaft or setting stem 116 is pivoted in sleeve N3 and also in bearing block and is provided with a head 116A at the lower end and a setting knob 116B at the upper end.

Below the setting head 1168 is a circularly arranged series of notches to form teeth which will mesh with the teeth 175 in the upper hollow of winding button 103A so that when both buttons (103A and 11613 are either both in the normal position or both in the withdrawn position these knobs or buttons are locked together and it is only when inner knob 116B is alone withdrawn that these knobs may be turned independently.

The rate regulating gear 112 is secured to shaft 126, which is pivoted in bearing blocks 127 and 128. The lower end of this shaft 126 has slideably keyed thereto a clutch plate 130 provided with a peripheral groove in which the free end of lever i132 engages. This lever 132 is pivoted at 133 and is biased in a clockwise direction about pivot 133 to bias the clutch plate 130 against the clutch plate 135, by a spring 136A, so as to cause clutch plate 135 to engages clutch plate 137. Normally the gear 105 engages the roller i134 pivoted on lever 132 to hold the clutch plates 130, 135 and 137 apart, but when the sleeve 103 and knob 103A are withdrawn this roller .134 is free to be lifted by spring 136A to cause engagement of these clutch plates 130, 135 and 137. The lower clutch plate 137 is secured to shaft 140 pivoted in bearing block 142 which has secured thereto a bevel gear 141 continuously in mesh with bevel gear 145 on shaft 146 pivoted in bear-ing blocks and containing a spurgear 147 meshing with spur gear 148, secured on shaft 149' and having integral therewith a pinion 150 engaging a gear sector 153, pivoted on a trunnion 154. The balance wheel 160 is pivoted coaxially with the gear sector 153 on trunnion 154 and bearing block 162. The balance wheel 160 includes a shaft 160A on which is mounted a hairspring 165. The gear sector 153 has a crank-like extension 166 which has its free end hookshaped or bifurcated to engage the outer turn of the hairspring 165, so that a change in adjustment of this gear sector 153 about its pivot causes a change in the effective length of this hairspring and a change in the oscillating frequency of the balance-wheel-hairspring oscillating system. The train of gears driving the gear sector 153 in response to turning of the winding-setting button 103A is such that when button 103A is turned in a direction to set the time indicating hand 171 forward the bifurcated crank pin 166 is moved in a direction to shorten the effective length of the hairspr-ing 165 and increase the oscillating frequency of the balance-wheelhairspring-oscillatory system.

It will be observed that the middle clutch-plate 135 has an extending handle, which handle is biased to an intermediate position between two stop pins 138 by a tension spring 139, as shown more clearly, in FIG. 7 of prior application Ser. No. 596,067 (now Patent No. 2,949,728). The setting stem 11 6 has secured thereto a bevel pinion 116C which is normally out of mesh, but when stem 116, by pulling out knob 1161B, is withdrawn, either alone or with knob 103A and sleeve 103, this bevel pinion 116C meshes with minute gear 170 secured to minute hand 171. This gear 170 is also frictionally connected to the minute shaft 172 by friction slip clutch 173. This gear 170- and minute shaft 172 are driven through the medium of slip clutch 173 by a gear train driven by the mainspring (not shown) wound up through the medium of mainspring gear 106 and retarded by an escapement-wheel and escapement pallet (not shown) controlled by balance wheel 160. It will be noted that the lower end of stem 116 is provided with a head 116A. This has been resorted to, to prevent the stem 116 being withdrawn too far, as could easily happen if stem 116 were first withdrawn and then followed by withdrawal of sleeve 103 (With the two tentatively locked together by the ball 115 held in groove 117 by spring 120.

Operation of FIG. 4.-Let us assume that knob 116B is alone withdrawn and minute hand 171 is correctly set with the minute hand of a standard clock, such for instance, as a synchronous electric motor clock. Let us now assume that on the following day it is found that 6 the minute hand is two minutes slow with respect to the minute hand on the standard clock. The user of the wrist watch may unconsciously wind the mainspring by turning knob 103A and may then proceed to set the watch by pulling out knob 103A and then set the minute hand 171 forward until the two minute hands are in agreement.

When the knob 103A was withdrawn, it pulled the stem 116 and its knob 116B with it, to cause pinion 116C to mesh with minute gear 170, to bring about such setting of the minute hand 171. The withdrawal of sleeve 103 also caused the pinion to be shifted from winding gear 106 to rate regulating gear 112. Also the lifting of pinion 105 allowed the roller 134 to move upward due to the action of spring 136A to thereby cause the three clutch plates 135137 to engage each other due to the action of compression spring 136A. It is thus seen that turning of the knob 103A when withdrawn not only causes the small knob 116B, locked thereto by teeth, to also be withdrawn to allow setting of the minute hand 171, and in turn the hour hand (not shown) but also causes engagement of gears 105 and 112 and the coupling of clutch plates 130135-137 to CHIUSC adjustment of the gear sector 153 through the medium of gears 141, 145, 147, 148 and 150. It should be understood, however, that the maximum possible rotation of clutch plate 135, due to stop pin 138, may have caused slippage between clutch plates 130 and during the latter part of the setting of the minute hand two minutes forward. In other words, just as much rate regulation adjustment would result when the minute hand was set forward two minutes Worth as if it were set forward one hour. This is desirable and is resorted to in order to avoid over correction if the watch when it is set to a great extent, as after the watch has stopped for lack of mainspring energy. If the wearer of the wrist watch is, however, aware of the fact that his wrist watch is adjusted to substantially perfect time-keeping already he may, when he desires to set his watch, withdraw only the small knob 116B and set the minute hand 171 without causing any change in the rate regulation adjustment, namely, rate regulation to a zero extent. The structure is such that when the time-piece is set forward the rate regulating means is adjusted to increase the speed of the timepiece and visa versa.

Rsum.In FIGS. 1 and 3 the applicant has disclosed an automatic rate regulated timepiece in which setting to a limited extent and rate regulation to a corresponding extent is permitted in one setting operation, but wherein additional setting may be accomplished by turning another setting knob; whereas in FIG. 4 (the applicant has disclosed a timepiece wherein unlimited setting and limited rate regulation may be accomplished by the withdrawal and rotation of a single button 103A which through the medium of a toothed clutch 175 with rotate another button 116B; and wherein, if desired, such another button 116B may be alone withdrawn and turned to accomplish hand setting without disturbing the then existing rate adjustment. It should, however, be understood that the two disclosures have been resorted to only for the purpose of disclosing the underlying principle of the invention and not its scope, which extends far beyond the specific disclosure resorted to. It should therefore be understood that numerous changes, modifications and additions may be resorted to within the scope of this invention so long as these changes come within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A semi-automatically rate regulated timepiece for indicating time comprising; a casing; time measuring means in said casing; rate regulating means supported in said casing which may be adjusted to change the speed of operation of said time measuring means; a slip clutch; a rotatable time indicating hand driven by said time measuring means through the medium of said slip clutch; a manually operable adjustment means with respect to which said time indicating hand may be moved and rotatable with respect to said casing about a common axis with said time indicating hand; means operatively connecting said adjustment means to said rate regulating means in a manner such that if said adjustment means is manually moved forward relative to the direction in which said time indicating hand is driven by said time measuring means said rate regulaitng means is adjusted to cause the speed of operation of said time measuring means to be reduced; a manually operable control means which may be operated in either direction and including limiting means to permit movement thereof to a limited extent only to cause such relative movement between said adjustment means and said casing to cause limited setting and limited adjustment of said rate regulating means proportional thereto in a single operation of said manually operable control means; and a setting knob for setting said time indicating hand to any extent by slipping said slip clutch and without adjusting said rate regulating means.

2. A semi-automatically rate regulated timepiece as claimed in claim 1, supplemented by means for holding said adjustment means relatively stationary so that relative rotation between said adjustment means and the casing results in actual rotation of the casing.

3. A semi-automatically rate regulated timepiece for indicating time comprising; a casing; time measuring means in said casing; rate regulating means supported in said casing which may be adjusted to change the speed of operation of said time measuring means; a rotatable time indicating hand driven by said time measuring means; a manually operable adjustment means including a dial on which said time indicating hand may be read and rotatable with respect to said casing about a common axis with said time indicating hand; means operatively connecting said adjustment means to said rate regulating means in a manner such that if said adjustment means is manually moved forward relative to the direction in which said time indicating hand is driven by said time measuring means to thereby set said time indicating hand backward relatively to said dial, said rate regulating means is adjusted to cause the speed of operation of said time measuring means to be reduced; and means for limiting the extent of manual movement of said adjustment means with respect to said casing in a single operation.

4. A semi-automatically rate regulated timepiece as claimed in claim 3; modified by having the adjustment means of claim 3 include a dial housing containing said dial, means for holding said dial housing relatively stationary, so that relative rotation between said dial housing and said casing results in actual rotation of said casing.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 388,036 Hammarlund Aug. 21, 1888 1,827,179 Whitehead et al Oct. 13, 1931 2,542,430 Rabinow Feb. 20, 1951 2,785,529 Haerri Mar. 19, 1957 2,858,664 Heirnann Nov. 4, 1958 2,889,680 Dicke June 9, 1959 2,927,421 Dicke Mar. 8, 1960 2,933,883 Giger Apr. 26, 1960 2,941,349 Lux June 21, 1960 3,039,261 Dicke June 19, 1962 

1. A SEMI-AUTOMATICALLY RATE REGULATED TIMEPIECE FOR INDICATING TIME COMPRISING; A CASING; TIME MEASURING MEANS IN SAID CASING; RATE REGULATING MEANS SUPPORTED IN SAID CASING WHICH MAY BE ADJUSTED TO CHANGE THE SPEED OF OPERATION OF SAID TIME MEASURING MEANS; A SLIP CLUTCH; A ROTATABLE TIME INDICATING HAND DRIVEN BY SAID TIME MEASURING MEANS THROUGHT THE MEDIUM OF SAID SLIP CLUTCH; A MANUALLY OPERABLE ADJUSTMENT MEANS WITH RESPECT TO WHICH SAID TIME INDICATING HAND MAY BE MOVED AND ROTATABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID CASING ABOUT A COMMON AXIS WITH SAID TIME INDICATING HAND; MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING ADJUSTMENT MEANS TO SAID RATE REGULATING MEANS IN A MANNER SUCH THAT IF SAID ADJUSTMENT MEANS IS MANUALLY MOVED FORWARD RELATIVE TO THE DIRECTION IN WHICH SAID TIME INDICATING HAND IS DRIVEN BY SAID TIME MEASURING MEANS SAID RATE REGULATING MEANS IS ADJUSTED TO CAUSE THE SPEED OF OPERATION OF SAID TIME MEASURING MEANS TO BE REDUCED; A MANUALLY OPERABLE CONTROL MEANS WHICH MAY BE OPERATED IN EITHER DIRECTION AND INCLUDING LIMITING MEANS TO PERMIT MOVEMENT THEREOF TO A LIMITED EXTENT ONLY TO CAUSE SUCH RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID ADJUSTMENT MEANS AND SAID CASING TO CAUSE LIMITED SETTING AND LIMITED ADJUSTMENT OF SAID RATE REGULATING MEANS PROPORTIONAL THERETO IN A SINGLE OPERATION OF SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE CONTROL MEANS; AND A SETTING KNOB FOR SETTING SAID TIME INDICATING HAND TO ANY EXTENT BY SLIPPING SAID SLIP CLUTCH AND WITHOUT ADJUSTING SAID RATE REGULATING MEANS. 